The Kabiru Turaki-led Interim National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) announced that it has manually submitted the presidential nomination of former President Goodluck Jonathan alongside the party's candidate lists for the 2027 general elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The action comes despite the electoral body's refusal to officially recognize the committee, further intensifying an ongoing leadership crisis within the party.

National Publicity Secretary Comrade Ini Ememobong stated that the party resorted to manual submission after INEC withheld access codes required for electronic filing, arguing that such codes serve merely as an administrative convenience. Ememobong maintained that the submission complies with the Electoral Act and noted that it was formally acknowledged by INEC. The candidate lists cover the presidential race, governorship positions, and contests for the National Assembly and state assemblies.

Ememobong cautioned the electoral commission against publishing any candidate lists differing from those provided by the committee, stating that the party is prepared to pursue all available constitutional, legal, and democratic avenues to protect the organization from being co-opted or compromised.

Tracing the origins of the internal dispute, the committee pointed to the Supreme Court judgment concerning PDP leadership, explaining that the Board of Trustees and a requisitioned National Executive Committee meeting established the interim leadership after the ruling left the party without a recognized national executive. According to the committee, INEC declined to acknowledge the interim body despite formal notifications, prompting legal challenges.

Ememobong criticized a subsequent Federal High Court judgment, describing it as inconsistent with prior decisions by the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. He confirmed that the party has appealed the ruling and intends to challenge discrepancies identified between the delivered court judgment and the Certified True Copy.

Additionally, the PDP accused INEC of compromising its neutrality. The committee alleged that the commission withheld critical facts during court proceedings, disregarded congresses that it had officially monitored, and contributed to declining public trust in the electoral framework. Ememobong asserted that the PDP is the initial target in a wider initiative to weaken opposition parties and establish a dominant single-party system, urging citizens to safeguard multi-party democracy against authoritarian trends while expressing optimism regarding the party's legal prospects.